A reclining seating unit includes: a base; an arm frame; a seat having a seat frame; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions.
|
1. A reclining seating unit, comprising:
a base;
an arm frame;
a seat having a rigid seat frame;
a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame;
a footrest unit;
a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions;
a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions;
a first linear pivotally actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat frame configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and
a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions.
7. A reclining seating unit, comprising:
a base;
an arm frame;
a seat having a seat frame;
a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame;
a footrest unit;
a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions;
a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions;
a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and
a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions;
wherein the seat moves rearwardly relative to the base as the footrest unit moves to the extended position.
13. A reclining seating unit, comprising:
a base;
an arm frame;
a seat having a seat frame;
a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame;
a footrest unit;
a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions;
a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions;
a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and
a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions;
wherein the first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame; and
wherein the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the base and to the footrest mechanism.
15. A reclining seating unit, comprising:
a base;
an arm frame;
a seat having a seat frame;
a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame;
a footrest unit;
a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions;
a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions;
a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and
a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions;
wherein the first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame; and
wherein the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the arm frame and to the footrest mechanism.
8. A reclining seating unit, comprising:
a base;
an arm frame;
a seat having a seat frame;
a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame;
a footrest unit;
a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions;
a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions;
a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and
a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions;
wherein the first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame; and
wherein the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the footrest mechanism and to the seat frame.
2. The reclining seating unit defined in
3. The reclining seating unit defined in
4. The reclining seating unit defined in
5. The reclining seating unit defined in
6. The reclining seating unit defined in
9. The reclining seating unit defined in
10. The reclining seating unit defined in
11. The reclining seating unit defined in
12. The reclining seating unit defined in
14. The reclining seating unit defined in
|
This invention relates generally to seating units, and relates more particularly to reclining seating units.
Recliner chairs and other reclining seating units have proven to be popular with consumers. These seating units typically move from an upright position, in which the backrest is generally upright, to one or more reclined positions, in which the backrest pivots to be less upright. The movement of the seating unit between the upright and reclined positions is typically controlled by a pair of matching reclining mechanisms that are attached to the seat, backrest and base of the chair.
One particularly popular recliner is the “three-way” recliner, which has two reclined positions: a “TV position”, in which the footrest or ottoman of the chair is projected forwardly from the chair while the backrest remains substantially upright; and a “fully reclined position”, in which the backrest is less upright (i.e., it has been reclined to a shallower angle relative to the floor). In a “three-way” recliner, the backrest pivots relative to the seat as the chair takes its fully reclined position; this differs from a “two-way” recliner, in which the backrest and seat are rigidly fixed and do not pivot relative to one another as the chair moves to the fully reclined position. Many three-way recliners are constructed such that the backrest and footrest are coupled to one another, such that reclining of the backrest cannot occur unless the footrest is already extended (i.e., the chair is in the TV position). See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,444 to Rogers, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,291 to Hoffman, which illustrate chairs of rather contemporary style with three-way reclining capability. Other reclining chairs may have decoupled reclining and footrest-extending mechanisms. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,276 to Hoffman et al.
Some reclining units have employed power actuators to recline the backrest and extend the footrest. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,297,693 to Hoffman et al. It may be desirable to provide additional reclining units with power actuation.
As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a reclining seating unit. The reclining seating unit comprises: a base; an arm frame; a seat having a seat frame; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions.
As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a reclining seating unit, comprising: a base; an arm frame; a seat having a seat frame; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions. The first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame and the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the footrest mechanism and to the seat frame.
As a third aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a reclining seating unit, comprising: a base; an arm frame; a seat having a seat frame; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions. The first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame, and the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the base and to the footrest mechanism.
As a fourth aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a reclining seating unit, comprising: a base; an arm frame; a seat having a seat frame; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat, the footrest unit, and the arm frame, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions. The first linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the backrest and to the seat frame, and the second linear actuator is pivotally mounted to the arm frame and to the footrest mechanism.
The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
The seating units illustrated and described herein comprise a plurality of pivotally interconnected links. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the pivots between links can take a variety of configurations, such as pivot pins, rivets, bolt and nut combinations, and the like, any of which would be suitable for use with the present invention. Also, the shapes of the links may vary as desired, as may the locations of certain of the pivots. Moreover, in some instances combinations of pivot points may be replaced by equivalent structures, such as “slider-crank” configurations, like those described in B. Paul, Kinematics and Dynamics of Planar Machinery 4-21 (1979).
Referring now to the figures, a glider-recliner chair, designated broadly at 10, is illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring to
Referring again to
The backrest 28 is disposed to be generally upright (with a typical angle of between about 55 and 80 degrees to horizontal—see
The reclining mechanisms 40 mount the seat 22 and the backrest 28 to the seat frame 24 and move the backrest 28 between an upright position (
As can be seen in
Notably, the backrest 28 and footrest unit 34 are decoupled from each other, such that the backrest 28 is able to move to the reclined position independent of the position (i.e., retracted or extended) of the footrest unit 34. However, the entire footrest unit 34 moves in concert with the seat 22 in either position.
Referring now to
The footrest mechanism 60 includes a linear actuator 62 that includes a motor 62a and a retractable rod 62b. The housing 62a is attached via a pivot 64 to a bracket 71a extending from a cross-member 71 that spans the glide mounting links 220. The front end of the rod 62a is attached at a pivot 66 to the bracket 68 that is rigidly fixed to the cross-member 63 of the seat frame 24. A footrest mounting plate 70 is mounted to the cross-member 71 and to a second cross-member 73 that spans the glide mounting links 220. A footrest drive link 80 is attached to the footrest mounting plate 70 at a pivot 82 and extends generally forwardly and slightly upwardly therefrom. A lower footrest swing link 84 is attached to the seat mounting bracket 50 at a pivot 86 and extends generally forwardly therefrom, and an upper footrest swing link 88 is attached to the seat mounting bracket 50 at a pivot 90 that is positioned slightly upwardly and forwardly from the pivot 86 and extends generally forwardly therefrom. The footrest drive link 80 is attached to the lower footrest swing link 84 at a pivot 87. An upper footrest extension link 92 is attached to the forward end of the lower footrest swing link 84 at a pivot 94 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom. Similarly, a lower footrest extension link 100 is attached to the upper footrest swing link 88 at a pivot 102 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom. The upper footrest extension link 92 is also pivotally attached to the upper footrest swing link 88 at a pivot 98.
The footrest 61a is attached to the footrest mechanism 60 via a rear footrest link 104 that is pivotally attached to the lower footrest extension link 100 at a pivot 106 and extends upwardly and rearwardly therefrom to meet the footrest 61a. A brace 108 is attached to the rear footrest link 104 at a pivot 112 and to the upper footrest extension link 92 at a pivot 110. The footrest 61b is mounted on a middle footrest bracket 114, which is attached to the upper and lower footrest extension links 92, 100 at pivots 116, 118 respectively. The footrest 61c is mounted to a front footrest link 120, which is attached to the middle footrest bracket 114 at a pivot 122 and extends forwardly therefrom to meet the footrest 61c. A brace 124 is attached to the front end of the lower footrest extension link 100 at a pivot 126 and to the front footrest link 120 at a pivot 128.
The seat frame 24 is mounted to the arm frame 225 via front and rear swing link 160, 166. The front swing link 160 is attached to the seat mounting plate 50 at a pivot 162 and extends downwardly and forwardly therefrom to a pivot 164 with the footrest mounting plate 70. The rear swing link 166 is attached to the seat mounting plate 50 at a pivot 168 and extends forwardly and downwardly therefrom to a pivot 170 with the footrest mounting plate 70.
The footrests 61a, 61b, 61c of the chair 10 can be moved between their retracted positions (
To move the footrests 61a, 61b, 61c from their retracted positions shown in
The forward movement of the upper and lower footrest extension links 92, 100 unfolds the footrests 61a, 61b, 61c. More specifically, as the upper and lower footrest links 92, 100 move forwardly, the brace 108 rotates counterclockwise about the pivot 110, which action rotates the rear footrest link 104 counterclockwise about the pivot 106. This rotation raises the footrest 61a and rotates it counterclockwise to a generally horizontal disposition in front of the seat 22. The movement of the upper and lower footrest extension links 92, 100 also causes the middle footrest bracket 114 and the footrest 61b to rotate counterclockwise to a generally horizontal disposition in front of the footrest 61a. Finally, the movement of the upper and lower footrest extension links 92, 100 forces the brace 124 forward and rotates it counterclockwise about the pivot 126; this rotation causes the front footrest link 120 to rotate counterclockwise about the pivot 122 to an inverted position, such that the footrest 61c is generally horizontally disposed and positioned in front of the footrest 61b.
The footrests 61a, 61b, 61c can be moved back to the retracted position by the occupant inducing the rod 62b of the linear actuator 62 to extend. The links described above reverse the motion they follow to extend the footrests 61a, 61b.
The chair 10 is free to glide along a longitudinal path defined by the front and rear glide links 214, 210 with the footrest unit 60 in either the retracted or extended position or with the backrest 28 in either the upright or reclined position (see
Another embodiment of a chair, designated broadly at 300, is shown in
Retraction of the rod of the linear actuator 346 causes the backrest 328 to recline by pivoting about the pivot 343 with the seating frame 324 (
Another embodiment of a reclining chair, designated broadly at 400, is shown in
The chair 400 includes a reclining mechanism 440 that reclines the backrest 428 that is very similar to the reclining mechanism 40 described above: it includes a link 442 fixed to the backrest 428 that is pivotally attached to a seat mounting bracket 450 fixed to the seat frame 424, and a linear actuator 446 that is pivotally attached to the backrest 428 and to the rear portion of the seat frame 424 via a bracket 453. The backrest 428 is moved between the upright and reclined positions in much the manner described above, with the linear actuator 446 retracting to move the backrest 428 to the reclined position of
The chair 400 also includes two footrest mechanisms 460 that are mounted to the chassis 406 and to footrest panels 461a, 461b. These footrest mechanisms 460 will be described in the extended position of
Each footrest mechanism 460 includes a footrest mounting bracket 470 mounted atop the chassis 406. A footrest drive link 480 is attached to the footrest mounting bracket 470 at a pivot 482 and extends generally forwardly and slightly upwardly therefrom. A lower footrest swing link 484 is attached to the seat mounting bracket 450 at a pivot 486 and extends generally forwardly therefrom, and an upper footrest swing link 488 is attached to the seat mounting bracket 450 at a pivot 490 that is positioned slightly upwardly and forwardly from the pivot 486 and extends generally forwardly therefrom. The footrest drive link 480 is attached to the upper footrest swing link 488 at a pivot 487. An upper footrest extension link 492 is attached to the forward end of the lower footrest swing link 484 at a pivot 494 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom. Similarly, a lower footrest extension link 500 is attached to the upper footrest swing link 488 at a pivot 502 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom. The upper footrest extension link 492 is also pivotally attached to the upper footrest swing link 488 at a pivot 498.
The footrest panel 461a is mounted to an L-shaped mounting link 504 that is pivotally connected at its lower, forward end to the lower footrest extension link 500 at a pivot 506. A brace 508 extends between a pivot 510 with the upper footrest extension link 492 and a pivot 512 with the mounting link 504.
The footrest panel 461b is mounted to a mounting link 514. A transition link 516 is attached at the forward end of the upper footrest extension link 492 at a pivot 518 and to the lower footrest extension link 500 at a pivot 520. The mounting link 514 is attached to the transition link 516 at a pivot 522. A control link 524 extends between a pivot 526 near the center of the mounting link 514 and a pivot 528 at the end of the lower footrest extension link 500.
The seat frame 424 includes a seat mounting link 450 fixed thereto. The seat frame 424 is attached to the footrest mounting bracket 470 via front and rear swing links 560, 566, which extend between, respectively, pivots 562, 564 and 570, 572. A linear actuator 462 extends between a pivot 464 with a bracket 468 on the chassis 406 and a pivot 469 with the seat frame 424.
In the retracted position shown in
To move the footrests 461a, 461b to their extended positions, the linear actuator 462 is actuated to retract. This retraction draws the forward end of the seat frame 424 rearwardly, with its movement controlled by the front and rear swing links 560, 566 as they pivot about the pivots 564, 570. As the seat frame 424 moves rearwardly, the footrest drive link 480 remains in place, with the result that it drives the upper footrest swing link 488 counterclockwise about the pivot 490. Rotation of the upper footrest swing link 488 drives the upper and lower footrest extension links 492, 500 forward, which in turn draws the lower footrest swing link 484 counterclockwise.
As the upper and lower ottoman extension links 492, 500 extend forwardly, the brace 508 and the mounting link 504 are carried forward also. The brace 508 substantially maintains its orientation, but the movement of the lower footrest extension link 500 causes the mounting link 504 to rotate about the pivot 506 such that the footrest 461a rises and rotates approximately 90 degrees to a generally horizontal disposition (the rotation is counterclockwise from the vantage point of
Also, the extension of the upper and lower ottoman extension links 492, 500 carries the control link 524 and the mounting link 514 forward and causes the transition link 516 to rotate counterclockwise. As the transition link 516 rotates, it causes the mounting link 514 to rotate around pivot 522 (the rotation is counterclockwise from the vantage point of
Referring now to
The base unit 611 includes a circular lower base 612. A swivel unit 614 is mounted onto the top of the lower base 612. Cross-members 618 are mounted atop the swivel unit 614. Those skilled in this art will recognize that the base unit 611 may take other forms that provide mounting locations for the remaining components of the chair 600; for example, the swivel unit 614 may be omitted.
Glide foundation plates 624 are mounted to the top surfaces of the cross-members 618. A front glide link 620 is attached at a pivot 621 to the front end of the glide foundation plate 624, and a rear glide link 625 is attached at a pivot 626 to the rear end of the glide foundation plate 624. The front and rear glide links 620, 625 are suspended from the glide foundation plate 624 and together form a gliding mechanism 629 that provides a gliding motion to the chair 600 when it is in its upright position (
The chair 600 includes a reclining mechanism 740 that reclines the backrest 615 that is very similar to the reclining mechanism 40 described above: it includes a link 742 fixed to the backrest 615 (including an extension 729) that is pivotally attached to a seat adapter 666 fixed to a seat frame 724, and a linear actuator 746 that is pivotally attached to the backrest 728 and to the rear portion of the seat frame 724 via a bracket 753. The backrest 615 is moved between the upright and reclined positions in much the manner described above, with the linear actuator 746 retracting to move the backrest 728 to the reclined position.
Referring to
Referring now to
A bi-angled inner ottoman bracket 696 is attached at its lower, forward end to the lower ottoman extension link 686 at a pivot 698. At its opposite end, the inner ottoman bracket 696 supports the ottoman 617a. The inner ottoman bracket 696 also includes a slot 696a that receives a pin 680a located on the upper ottoman extension link 680.
An angled connecting link 700 is attached at a pivot 704 with the lower ottoman swing link 676 and extends rearwardly and slightly downwardly therefrom. The connecting link 700 is pivotally connected to a locking mechanism 732 that can prevent the seat 613 and backrest 615 from gliding relative to the base 611 when the footrests 617a, 617b are extended.
Referring still to
As can be seen in
To move the footrests 617a, 617b from their retracted positions in
In addition, the rotation of the lower ottoman swing link 676 draws the connecting link 700 forward. Movement of the connecting link 700 causes the locking mechanism 732 to prevent relative movement between the front and rear glide links 720, 725 and the seat 613, thereby preventing the seat 613 from gliding relative to the base unit 611.
Another embodiment of a reclining chair, designated broadly at 800, is illustrated in
Referring now to
Still referring to
The chair 800 includes a reclining mechanism 940 that reclines the backrest 928 that is very similar to the reclining mechanism 40 described above: it includes a link 942 fixed to the backrest 928 (including an extension 929) that is pivotally attached to the seat panel 844 fixed to the seat frame 817 at a pivot 945, and a linear actuator 946 that is pivotally attached to the backrest 928 and to the rear portion of the seat frame 817 via a bracket 953. The backrest 928 is moved between the upright and reclined positions in much the manner described above, with the linear actuator 946 retracting to move the backrest 928 to the reclined position.
Referring to
A transition link 862 is attached at its lower end to the frame bracket 860 at a pivot 864 and extends upwardly and forwardly therefrom. A control link 866 is attached at its lower end to the transition link 862 at a pivot 868 and extends upwardly and slightly rearwardly therefrom to a pivot 870 with the seat panel 844. A drive link 892 is attached to the forward end of the transition link 862 at a pivot 894. A rear ottoman drive link 904 is attached at a pivot 906 to the seat panel 844 and extends forwardly therefrom. A front ottoman drive link 908 is attached at a pivot 910 to the seat panel 844 at a pivot that is positioned forwardly and upwardly from the pivot 906. The drive link 892 is attached to the front ottoman link 908 at a pivot 896. A rear ottoman extension link 912 is attached to the forward end of the front ottoman drive link 904 at a pivot 916 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom; the rear ottoman extension link 912 is also attached to an intermediate portion of the rear ottoman drive link 904 at a pivot 914. A main ottoman bracket 922, to which the main ottoman 820a is mounted, is attached to the forward end of the rear ottoman drive link 912 at a pivot 924. An auxiliary ottoman extension link 918 is attached to the front end of the rear ottoman drive link 904 at a pivot 919 and extends forwardly and slightly upwardly therefrom. An angled auxiliary ottoman bracket 928, to which the auxiliary ottoman 820b is mounted, is attached at its vertex to the forward, tabbed end of the auxiliary extension link 918 at a pivot 930 and to the rear ottoman extension link 912 at a pivot 917. A main ottoman extension link 934 is attached to the forward end of the auxiliary ottoman bracket 928 at a pivot 936 and extends forwardly and upwardly therefrom to a pivot 938 with the main ottoman bracket 922. Thus, these links 904, 908, 912, 918, 922, 928 and 934 comprise a footrest linkage 950 that serves to extend and retract the ottomans 820a, 820b.
A linear actuator 952 comprising a motor 954 and a rod 956 extends the footrest linkage 821. The rod 956 is attached via a pivot 958 to a bracket 960, which is fixed to a cross-member 962 that extends between the transition links 862 on either side of the chair 800. The motor 954 is mounted via a pivot 966 to a bracket 964 that is fixed to a cross-member 968 mounted under the rear end of the frame bracket 860. In the extended position of
Referring now to
To extend the ottomans 820a, 820b to the extended position of
Because the seat frame 817 shares the common pivot 945 with the frame bracket 860 and with the link 842, the seat 816 does not move rearwardly relative to the base 812 when the footrests 820a, 820b are extended or when the backrest 818 is reclined. As such, the chair 800 is less prone to tipping over, even when the footrests 820a, 820b are extended and/or the backrest 818 is reclined. Accordingly, the base 812 can remain stable with smaller front-to-back dimensions, which may be desirable for some chair styles.
It can be seen that each of the chairs 10, 300, 400, 600, 800 can provide independent reclining of the backrest and extension/retraction of the footrests via their respective pairs of linear actuators. The rearward movement of the seat caused by the retraction of the linear actuator attached to the forward portion of the seat can extend the footrests. The attachment of the linear actuator that reclines the backrest to the rear portion of the seat enables the seat to move rearwardly to extend the footrest. As can be seen above, this arrangement of independent powered reclining/footrest extension may be suitable for a stationary chair, a swiveling chair, or a gliding chair.
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
10299597, | Feb 13 2018 | L&P Property Management Company | High-leg hidden ottoman recliner seating mechanism |
10512332, | Jul 14 2015 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Recliner and legrest mechanism for a furniture member |
10524574, | May 18 2018 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member with powered wall-proximity mechanism |
10524575, | Apr 16 2018 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member with foldable pawl and ratchet assembly |
10537178, | Apr 07 2017 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member having flexible seatback |
10568428, | Apr 07 2017 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member having flexible seatback |
10750870, | Apr 07 2017 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member having flexible seatback |
10779653, | Sep 22 2016 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member having legrest mechanism |
10820708, | May 18 2018 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Furniture member with wall-proximity mechanism and locking trigger |
10889224, | Feb 10 2017 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Vehicle seat control system, vehicle seat control method, and storage medium |
11134778, | May 09 2019 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Reclining chaise |
11140990, | Jan 17 2020 | HAINING MY HOME MECHANISM CO , LTD | Chair support structure and chair having the same |
11197549, | Sep 28 2020 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Wall-proximity furniture member having sync mechanism |
11229290, | Jul 20 2020 | Leggett & Platt, Inc. | Pedestal glider and recliner chair and mechanism |
11622629, | Sep 28 2020 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Wall-proximity furniture member having sync mechanism |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
3588170, | |||
4386803, | Nov 05 1981 | Motorized reclining chair | |
4691964, | Jun 30 1986 | Powered reclining chair | |
4915444, | Jun 05 1989 | Recliner chair | |
6439636, | Feb 07 2001 | Vehicle electric reclining seats | |
6540291, | Apr 17 2001 | ULTRA-MEK, INC | Off-the-floor reclining chair |
6783178, | Feb 22 2001 | Mineba Co., Ltd.; MINEBEA CO , LTD | Electric seat |
7673933, | Feb 15 2007 | L & P Property Management Company | Recliner lift chair with dual motors |
7731276, | Aug 08 2006 | ULTRA-MEK, INC | Reclining seating unit with wall-proximity capability |
8297693, | Nov 24 2008 | ULTRA-MEK, INC. | Reciprocating seating unit with power actuator |
8608240, | Sep 09 2011 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Mechanism and chair for powered combined and independent seat back and leg rest motion |
9016790, | Oct 04 2012 | Convertible seating reclining chair | |
20090096255, | |||
20120112519, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Sep 26 2014 | ULTRA-MEK, INC. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Nov 25 2014 | MURPHY, MARCUS L | ULTRA-MEK, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 034569 | /0027 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Dec 09 2019 | M2551: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Yr, Small Entity. |
Nov 22 2023 | M2552: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 8th Yr, Small Entity. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Jun 07 2019 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Dec 07 2019 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jun 07 2020 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Jun 07 2022 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Jun 07 2023 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Dec 07 2023 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jun 07 2024 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Jun 07 2026 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Jun 07 2027 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Dec 07 2027 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jun 07 2028 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Jun 07 2030 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |